The Unlikely Savior
by JasonMorganfan87
Summary: It has been months since the deaths of Gibbs' wife and daughter and he's absolutely devastated. Then one day, he finds a letter from his wife which reveals a shocking secret. Now he is on a quest to find a young boy. Will he be able to rescue this boy or will the boy end up rescuing him?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or any of its characters.**

**The Unlikely Savior**

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was in his bedroom going through his wife's thing. It had been three months since the deaths of his wife and daughter. It had been really hard. There were days that he thought about eating his gun over the grief and guilt of not being able to stop him. The only thing that stopped him was thinking of Shannon if she knew what he was thinking. She would've smacked him for even considering such a thing.

Anyway, after months of leaving everything in the house the way it was, Gibbs decided it was time to go through Shannon's things and decide what to do with them. He was going through the dresser when he found it. He opened one of the corner drawers and found a folded piece of paper with his name on it. He immediately took it out, unfolded it, and began reading.

_Dear, Jethro,_

_I'm writing this because I've been warned that the people I'm testifying against are extremely dangerous. Agent Franks assures me that NIS will do everything they can to protect me and I believe them, but in case something goes wrong, there are some things I need you to know._

_The first thing I need you to know is that I love you and that this is not your fault. I know you, Jethro. I know you and I know you'll feel guilty for not being able to stop whatever happened. You will stop that immediately! I will not let you blame yourself for something you had no control of._

Gibbs chuckled even as the tears streamed down his face. Shannon knew him so well. She even seemed to know how he'd react to her death. God he missed her so much.

Gibbs cleared his throat, wiped his tears and went back to reading.

_The last thing I need to tell you is going to be very shocking to you. Please know that it wasn't that I was trying to hide it from you. It's just that it's very hard for me to talk about it. Even as I write this, it's extremely difficult. Alright, so I'm just gonna come out and say it. I have a son._

Gibbs stopped reading and gaped in shock. For a minute there, he thought he must have read it wrong. His wife had just told him she had a son. How was that possible? Was she pregnant the last time he went away? God, had he lost another child.

Rather than speculate further, Gibbs decided to keep reading. First though, he went over to the bed and sat down. He figured it was better he be sitting for the rest of this.

_I know a hundred things are probably going through your head right now, so let me just put a stop to that and explain. It was a couple of years after we met, but before we got together. He was born November 9, 1977. It was the result of a one night stand. I didn't get the chance to name him. Someone stole him from the hospital before I had the chance._

_I spent a very long time looking for him. In fact, I've never stopped. I still call the detective in charge once and a while. It never does any good though. I'm sorry I never told you about this. Like I said, it was just so hard. The only way I survived it was thinking about it as little as possible_

_I'm telling you this now because I need you to do something for me. I need you to carry on the search for my baby. I can never truly rest until I know he's okay. Please do this for me, Jethro. I need to know that my son is safe and happy. I know it's a lot to put on you all at once, especially since you're probably in a lot of pain right now, but I just need this one last thing from you. Who knows, maybe it'll help you too. If you find him, please tell him that I love him and that I've never given up hope of finding him. I have a letter hidden in our safe for him. Please show it to him when you feel he's ready for it. Thank you._

_Love Shannon_

Gibbs was suddenly glad he sat down. He was in complete shock right now. His wife had just told him in a letter that she had a son. There was a kid out there that belonged to his wife. A kid that was stolen from her.

Gibbs soon became angry. Some bastard had taken Shannon's child from her. Someone had caused her a lifetime of pain. She'd spent fourteen years in agony, never knowing what happened to her child. She never even got to see him except for when he was born. If she got to hold him, it was only for a minute. She didn't get to see him grow up. She didn't even get to give him a name. That had been robbed from her along with her child. She died never knowing if her son was even alive.

Gibbs' thoughts went to the boy. He wondered what the kid would be like. Would he look like Shannon? Would he have her eyes or her hair color? Would he have her amazing smile? What about his personality? Would that be like her? Would he have anything in common with Kelly? She was his sister after all.

That hit him too. His little girl had a brother that she would never know. Even if he was found, Kelly would never know him because she was gone. She would never get the chance to see him and he would never see her. It was all so unfair. His wife and daughter deserved to have the chance to know their son and brother. This kid deserved to meet the mother he'd been stolen from and the sister he never had the chance to meet.

So much was going through Gibbs mind that he could barely think. There was only one thing he knew for sure. He had to find this boy. Shannon's last wish was that he find her child and that was exactly what he was going to do. He would not fail Shannon again. One way or another, he was going to find this kid and bring him home.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Gibbs went out to Shannon and Kelly's graves and placed flowers there. He then knelt down by his daughter's grave. "Hey, sweetie. Oh, I miss you so much. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to save you. I should've been there. I should've protected you and your mom. I'm sorry I failed you."

Gibbs tried desperately to stop the tears from flowing down his face, but he couldn't. He just missed them so damn much. He didn't know how he was supposed to spend the rest of his life without them.

Gibbs took several deep breaths and wiped the tears from his face. He then went over to Shannon's grave. "Hi, baby, it's me. I got your letter. I wish you would've told me yourself. I mean, I get why you didn't, but I wish I had known. I could've helped you find him, or at the very least I could've been there for you. Because I know if you felt even of the flicker of the agony I feel now, it had to be hell." He knew his wife had to have been dying inside these last fourteen years. He'd only had to deal with the loss of a child for a few months so far and it was torture. He couldn't even imagine what it must have been like for Shannon to deal with that for fourteen years.

Gibbs sighed. "I can't bring him back to you now. I wish I could. I wish I could've given you your boy back while you were still alive. But if I could change the past, I would bring you guys back to. I can't do either of those things. You'll never have the chance to know your son and he'll never have the chance to know you. But I can promise you one thing. I will find him. Even if it takes my last breath, I will find your son!" That was a promise he would keep. He'd failed Shannon when she needed him most. That would not happen again. He would do right by her and her child. He would bring him home.

"I'm starting now actually. I'm headed for Stillwater as soon as I leave here," Gibbs said. Going back home wasn't something he planned or was looking forward to in the least, but that was where Shannon gave birth to her son, or at least he was pretty sure it was. That was where she was living at the time. That was where he was stolen from her. He was gonna go there and speak to the detectives there in person.

Gibbs stood up after a minute. "I won't give up, baby. I will get him back and I will make sure he has a good life. I love you and I'll come back as soon as I can," he said before walking away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Gibbs made it to Stillwater several hours later. The first thing he did was go to his dad's store. He didn't particularly want to speak to his father, as they weren't on the best of terms, but he had the feeling his dad knew something. Stillwater was a small town. A stolen baby would get everyone's attention.

Gibbs walked in to see his father closing up for the night.

Jackson didn't even look up from what he was doing. "I'm about to close. I'm already closing out the register. Sorry."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I didn't come for milk and bread," Gibbs said.

Jackson's eyes shot up to his son's. "Leroy. I wasn't expecting you, but I'm glad you're here. How are you doing, son?"

Gibbs walked further into the store. "I'm not here for a reunion, Dad. I need to ask you about something."

"What is it?" Jackson asked.

"Shannon's son," Gibbs said.

Jackson was surprised by the question, but only because he was surprised his son knew about it. Shannon hadn't told him while she was alive. She always said she would, but she never did. It was just so damn hard for her. "I know you're probably mad I didn't tell you. I couldn't, Leroy. It was for her to tell."

"I'm not mad about that. It doesn't matter at this point. All that matters now is that I find him," Gibbs said.

"Find him? He was kidnapped fourteen years ago, Leroy," Jackson said.

"So what? He's still missing. I have to find him. It's what Shannon wanted. Her last wish was that I find her boy. I'm gonna do that. I'm going to find that kid," Gibbs said firmly.

"How? It's been fourteen years and the cops came up with nothing. What makes you think you'll do any better? You're not a cop," Jackson said.

"Not yet," Gibbs said under his breath. He planned to be though. He had the NIS application at home ready to go. That had to take a backseat right now though. "Look, I don't care what I have to do. I'm gonna find that kid."

"What if you do find him? What's your plan then? Bring him home with you? You think it'll be as simple as that? You think his folks are gonna give him up without a fight? You think he'll go with you without a fight. He's fourteen. Whoever he's with, he has a life with them. You think he's gonna wanna give that up to live with a stranger?" Jackson asked. He wasn't trying to criticize his son's attempts to locate his stepson. It was admirable what he was trying to do. He just wanted his son to see this realistically. On the off chance that he did find the boy, it wasn't going to be some happy ending. That kid's entire world was going to be turned on its axis.

Gibbs glared at his father. "No, Dad, I don't think that. I know better than to think this is all gonna end nice and neat. It doesn't matter. I have to do this. I gotta find him, for Shannon and for him. The kid may hate me for it, but it's what I have to do. Now, in the letter she wrote to me, Shannon said that a detective was involved. That means it wasn't the local sheriff.

"No, it wasn't. They brought in a detective from Philadelphia. I don't know what his name was. The only reason I know this much is because it was all over the news. Abducted kids don't happen every day around here," Jackson said.

"No, it doesn't. I imagine it had everyone up in arms.

"You can say that again. No one left their kids out of their sight for weeks. Have you thought this through, Leroy?" Jackson asked.

"What do you want me to do, Dad? That kid's a part of my family, even if just through Shannon and Kelly," Gibbs said.

"That statement is what scares me the most. You just learned your wife had another child. You're clinging to him before you even meet him because he's a piece of her. You're putting all your hopes in this kid and I think you're gonna be disappointed. For one, I'm not sure you're gonna be able to find him and for another, like I said before, it's not gonna be a happy situation if you do," Jackson said.

"Thanks for your help, Dad," Gibbs said before walking away.

"Leroy, wait! Come back to the house. Stay the night," Jackson said.

"No thanks," Gibbs said without even turning around. He then left the store.


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs didn't leave Stillwater right away. He decided to first go to the hospital Shannon gave birth in. He knew which one it was because, well, there was really only one hospital in Stillwater.

Gibbs had been heading for the front desk when he noticed a doctor he recognized walk by. "Ryan?"

The doctor stopped and turned. He was a man in his mid-thirties that had reddish blonde hair and blue eyes. "Jethro?"

Gibbs walked towards him. "A doctor, huh? You failed biology twice."

Ryan chuckled. "What can I say? I finally got with it after we moved to New York. I took my studies seriously. I found I actually liked science. I decided to go to med school."

"And then you came back here. How long?" Gibbs asked.

"About three years now. What about you? What brings you here? I never thought I'd see you here again. All you ever talked about was getting out of Stillwater," Ryan said.

"Not staying. I'm here doing something for someone. I don't know if you know this, but my wife lived here for a while when she was young," Gibbs said.

"Yeah, I heard you were married. I also heard she died. I'm so sorry, Jethro," Ryan said.

Gibbs felt a sharp pain hit his heart, but did his best to ignore it. He needed to focus on the task at hand. "Um, she had a kid here a while back. It was about fourteen years ago. The kid was taken from the nursery."

Ryan nodded. "The baby that was stolen in '77. Yeah, I heard about that. It's kind of hard not to. This hospital gets a bad rep because of it."

"A baby was kidnapped here. I kinda think it should get a bad reputation," Gibbs said.

"Yeah, but that was the late seventies. Things were different then. No one feared kids getting nabbed in hospitals or elsewhere as much as they do now, especially in a small town like this," Ryan said.

"But it happened."

"So I heard. I assume you're here because you're looking for whoever took the kid. I can't really help you because I wasn't here at the time," Ryan said.

"You gotta know somebody who was though," Gibbs said.

Ryan thought for a minute. "Yeah, I think I know someone who was probably here. Hang on," Ryan said before approaching the front desk with Gibbs tailing behind him. "Mary."

"An elderly nurse with gray hair looked up. 'Yes, doctor."

"Mary, you've been here a while. You know about the kidnapping in '77, right?" Ryan asked.

"Honey, everyone who works here knows about it," Mary said.

"Right, but you were here when it happened. You witnessed it all first hand," Ryan said. that

"Yes, I was here. It was a tragic situation. Why do you wanna hear about it now?" Mary asked.

"I don't. He does," Ryan said before pointing to Gibbs. "This is Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He's a friend of mine and he's looking into what happened.

Mary looked at Gibbs. "Are you with the police?"

"No. I… The woman who lost her child was my wife. She, uh… She died recently. She never gave up on finding her baby," Gibbs said.

"Of course not. A mother never does," Mary said knowingly.

"Right. Her last wish was for me to find her child. She wanted to know that if she left this world, the she re would be someone to pick up the search. That her child wouldn't just be lost forever. So that's why I'm here. I gotta find him," Gibbs said.

"I understand. I was here. I remember exactly when it happened. I'm sure everyone who was around does. It was unheard of back then for something like that to happen back then in a town like this. I mean, this is a town where people could send their children on their own across town and not be afraid. Then somehow a baby is snatched from a hospital where there are dozens of hospital personnel that should've been able to stop it," Mary said sadly.

"But no one did. No one saved that baby," Gibbs said.

"No, but that day changed things. Security was increased around here and gone were the times where people would just leave their children alone without worry," Mary said.

"So do you know anything about what happened?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, there was one witness. A wonderful nurse named Betty. Unfortunately, she passed on a few years ago. She saw someone in a lab coat take the baby," Mary said.

"And seeing him in a lab coat, she thought he was a doctor and didn't think anything of it," Gibbs said.

"Exactly. It wasn't until another nurse went to bring the baby to his mother that anyone realized there was a problem. We were all notified and we searched the hospital from top to bottom, but we never found the baby or the man that took him," Mary explained.

"That's when you called the police?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, I called them myself. The sheriff came out to investigate. A couple of days later, the case was turned over to an out of town detective. I believe his name was Detective Barns. Unfortunately, that's all I know," Mary said.

"Thank you," Gibbs said before he began to walk away.

"Of course, and young man? I hope you find him. I hope you can give your wife some peace, even if it is in death. Don't give up."

"Believe me, Ma'am, I don't intend to," Gibbs said firmly before walking away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

The next day, Gibbs was standing in an office at the Philadelphia Police Department waiting for Detective Barns.

Suddenly, Gibbs heard the door open. He turned to see a middle-aged man with dark brown hair that was starting to gray. "Hi. I'm Detective Barns. You must be Mr. Gibbs."

"Just Gibbs is fine," Gibbs said.

"What can I help you with, Gibbs?" Barns asked.

"Nearly fourteen years ago, you worked a case in Stillwater involving a missing baby," Gibbs said.

"Yeah, I remember the case, and if I didn't, the boy's mother calls every few months to make sure I do," Barns said sounding kind of irritated.

Gibbs narrowed his eyes at the man. He didn't like the way he spoke about Shannon. Like she was an inconvenience to him. "God forbid she wanna find her child, right?"

Barns sighed. "Look, I did my job. I searched for the boy for as long as I could, but eventually I had to move on."

"Yeah, well she couldn't move on," Gibbs said.

"Who are you? What is your interest in this?" Barns asked.

"That woman was my wife. She died recently and asked me to continue the search," Gibbs said.

"I'm sorry about your wife. But, look, this case is almost fourteen years old. Do yourself a favor and let it go," Barns said.

"No," Gibbs said flatly.

"You're wasting your time. That kid is either dead or he has a new family he loves. Either way, it won't be a happy ending."

Gibbs didn't reply. He just walked away. This guy wasn't going to help him. But he knew someone at home that might.


	4. Chapter 4

Gibbs was sitting in a conference room at NIS with Mike Franks. He was hoping the agent would help him find Shannon's son. The man had been helpful to him in the past. He'd helped him get revenge on the man that killed his wife and daughter. Gibbs just hoped he'd be willing to help one last time.

"You want me to search for a missing kid from fourteen years ago?" Mike asked.

"No. No, I know you can't do that. I just want you to help me get the information so I can do it," Gibbs said.

"You? You're not even an agent yet. Have you even filled out the application you asked for?" Mike asked.

"Not yet. This came up suddenly. I can't do anything else until I find this kid. No one wants to help though. The detective said I should just let it go. I imagine he told Shannon the same thing," Gibbs said irritable. It made him angry to think about the treatment his wife must have gotten every time she asked for information about her child.

Mike scowled. He knew a few agents and detectives like that. They were the type that if a case couldn't be solved easily, they'd wait for it to go cold and try to forget about it. It was ridiculous. If you were gonna give up on a case so easily, you had no business in this profession. "He didn't tell you anything?"

"No. He just said that the outcome wouldn't be good even if I did find him," Gibbs said.

"It probably won't, but that don't mean the boy doesn't need to be found," Mike said. It was very unlikely that a kid who had been gone for fourteen years would welcome having his life uprooted in the way Gibbs was sure to uproot it, and if he did, there was something seriously wrong. But that was just one more reason that child abduction cases should never be abandoned in such a way.

"So will you help?" Gibbs asked.

"I'll tell you what. Fill out the NIS application and I'll have the file for you," Mike said. He would've done it anyway, but he wanted Gibbs to fill out the application. He saw potential in the marine. He might give him a hard time and he would continue to do so, but he did think this was the right move for him. "If you're gonna find this kid, you're gonna need to know at least something about investigating anyway."

"If I'm going through training for NIS, I won't be able to focus on this," Gibbs said. Finding Shannon's son was his top priority. He couldn't let anything get in the way.

"It's been fourteen years, Marine. You're not gonna find this kid in a week. It's gonna take time and the right set of skills to pull it off. Do this and I'll help you? I'll get the file and I'll even help you look for him," Mike said.

Gibbs sighed. He still didn't like it, but Franks wasn't exactly wrong. He was no cop. He had no investigating skills. Going through the training would be a huge help in finding his wife's boy. "Alright."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Two days later, Gibbs was back in the same conference room with Franks. He'd completed and turned in the application for NIS just before meeting with the man.

Mike placed a file on the table in front of Gibbs. "There it is. Not much in it though. It went cold practically from the beginning."

"How could that happen though," Gibbs asked as he opened the file and started going through it.

"It was 1977. They didn't have the resources we do now to find missing kids. There was no DNA, none of the databases for missing children that we have today, the hospitals didn't really have a lot of security. The odds were stacked against missing kids, even more than they are now," Mike said. The odds of finding kids had gotten better, but a lot of child abduction cases still ran cold.

"It says here they had a suspect. A Matthew Simon," Gibbs said as he continued to look through the file.

"Yeah, he was the boy's father. They always look to parents first. Simon didn't pan out though. Not only was he never interested in the child, but he died three months before the kid was born in a car accident," Mike said. He'd read the file himself and also questioned the lead detective. He'd had to wrestle the information out of the jackass detective, but he'd managed.

"Both his parents died in car accidents," Gibbs said quietly. Actually, Shannon's death couldn't be considered an accident. The car ran off the road because someone murdered the driver to run it off the road. Still, he couldn't help but notice the parallels.

"Well, it's not exactly the same. Simon died because he was driving drunk and he ran off the road. Luckily, he didn't take anyone else with him," Mike said.

"So what could've happened to him?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, I can see two possibilities that come up with missing kids from hospitals. Either someone who had just lost a child went trolling the hospital for a kid or a baby broker did," Mike said.

"A baby broker," Gibbs repeated.

"Now, surely you know what a baby broker is."

"Yeah, I know what it is. You think someone sold Shannon's son?" Gibbs asked angrily. The idea of people buying selling kids alone infuriated him. Kids were not property that could be bought and sold. And the fact that this May have happened to Shannon's child angered him even further.

"It happens, more than you might think," Mike said.

"So if that's what happened, do you think the adoptive parents knew he was stolen?" Gibbs asked,

"It doesn't matter if they did or not. It's against the law to buy children," Mike said.

Gibbs sighed. "So what now?"

"Now you go through the FLETC program," Mike said.

Gibbs opened his mouth to object and was immediately cut off.

"I'll look into this while you're doing that. You can't actively investigate until you have a badge. Get that badge and you can help. In the meantime, you may wanna think about what you wanna do if he is found. Finding him is all well and good, but is you ultimate goal to take custody? And if so, you need to think about how you'll deal with being the only parent of a teenager," Mike said.

"You'll keep looking?" Gibbs asked. He still didn't like it, but it didn't seem he had much choice.

"You have my word, Probie," Mike said.

"Probie?" Gibbs asked in confusion.

"What you'll be once you get that badge. Now get out here and hop to it," Mike ordered.

"Thank you," Gibbs said before placing the file down on the table and headed out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

A few months later, Gibbs was officially an NIS, or as it was now called, NCIS agent. After he completed the FLETC program, he was almost immediately assigned to Headquarters and Mike Franks' team.

Gibbs had been working for Mike for about a week before he finally approached him and asked to talk alone.

Mike led Gibbs into the conference room they'd spoke in the last time. "I must say, Probie, you had more restraint than I thought. I figured you'd be all over my ass the first day."

"Any news?" Gibbs asked, getting straight to the point.

"Nothing that's panned out. I investigated everyone that worked at the hospital the kid was born at during that time. I didn't expect to find much and my expectations were met," Mike said.

Gibbs sighed. It wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear.

"I told you this wasn't going to get solved straight away, Probie. What about you? Have you given any thought as to what you're gonna do if we find him?" Mike asked. That was a question that needed to be answered. They couldn't go dismantling this kid's life without having at least some idea of what would happen to him. At least they shouldn't.

Gibbs nodded. He hadn't been able to think of much else. From the moment he learned about Shannon's son, the plan was always to find him and bring him home with him, but he'd had to take a step and try to figure out if that was the best course of action. His father had been right when he said that this kid was just going to accept him with open arms. He was fourteen-years old. He already had a life with the people that raised him and that he loved. Or at least that's what he hoped the outcome was. Still, if these people had bought or stolen him, which seemed very likely, he didn't belong with them. Hell, in Gibbs' eyes, he didn't belong with them one way or another. While he didn't believe that you had to be a biological parent to love a child, this was different. This child was not given away. He was stolen. The kid had belonged with Shannon. With her gone, it was left to him to take care of the boy. And that was what would happen.

"Well?" Mike asked.

"I've thought a lot about what this is going to do to the kid. I know he's not going to easily accept me, at least I hope not because if he does, it means something horrible happened to him. But no matter what, he belongs with me, not people who bought or stole him, or people he was given to under false pretenses. If Shannon were alive and we found him, he'd come home with us. That should happen now that she's gone too," Gibbs said.

"Well, alright then. As long as you know that it'll be far from simple even after we find him," Mike said. It was going to be hard as he'll for this kid to adjust and probably for Gibbs too. He was still grieving for his wife and daughter. Bringing a teenage boy into that would not be easy.

Gibbs nodded that he indeed understood that. "So what now? What's the next course of action for finding him?"

"Well, like I said, I checked out all the employees who worked at the hospital when your wife gave birth. I managed to speak with all of them except two. A Betty Carson…"

"She's died a few years ago," Gibbs interrupted. He'd heard that as much when he was in Stillwater.

"The other was an orderly named James Terry," Mike said.

"Whoa, James? I knew him," Gibbs said. He'd gone to school with James, but that wasn't really how he knew him. He knew him by reputation. He was a little punk.

"Really? You know him well?" Mike asked.

"Not really. I went to school with him, but our paths didn't really cross. He was a menace around Stillwater though. He committed a bunch of petty thefts around town. He even stole from my dad's store," Gibbs told him.

"Stealing some groceries is a far cry from stealing a baby," Mike said. Of course he wasn't saying that Terry hadn't done it. It was a much higher crime than petty theft, but every criminal started somewhere, right?

"I can't think of any reason why James would take Shannon's baby. Besides, I thought you said you thought a baby broker was responsible," Gibbs said.

"I said it was a theory, and it still is. The kid could've been his first or he could've had another reason entirely, or he could have had nothing to do with it. We won't know anything until we find him. So far I haven't had much lucl with that," Mike said. That fact alone left him kind of suspicious. This guy had pretty much dropped off the face of the earth. There were only two reasons for that. Either you were running from some dangerous people or you did something to warrant attention from the police, and given the circumstances, he was guessing the latter.

"The last I heard, his parents still lived in Stillwater. My father might be able to find something out," Gibbs said. He didn't really wanna talk to his dad after last time, but like last time, he'd do it for Shannon and her son. This was the first lead they'd had since starting this.

"Do it, Probie."

Gibbs went to leave to go do it, but Mike stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Not now, Probie. Right now there's work to be done. We work this on down time," Mike said.

Gibbs nodded. He didn't like waiting, but as his superior, Mike was in charge, even of this.


	6. Chapter 6

A week later, Gibbs and Mike were headed down the streets of Boston in a rental car. Gibbs' father had gotten him the information on James Terry a couple of days after he made the call, but they had an active case, so they couldn't leave right away.

Mike pulled the rental car up to a two story house at the end of the block. He immediately saw a dark haired man in a suit come out of the house and head for the car in the driveway. "That our man."

"Yeah, that's him," Gibbs said. He was older and looked much more professional, but that was definitely James.

"Keep your cool, Probie," Mike said before getting out of the car.

Gibbs immediately followed suit.

"James Terry!" Mike called as they headed in his direction.

James, who had been about to get in his car turned around. "I don't go by that name anymore."

"That's right; you took your mother's maiden name. It's James Harris now," Mike said as he stopped in front of him.

"Who are you?" James asked.

"Special agent Franks. This is Special Agent Gibbs. NCIS" Mike said.

James' eyes immediately locked with Gibbs. He recognized the name and soon recognized the man as well. "Jethro Gibbs. Never thought you'd be a cop."

Gibbs merely shrugged in response.

"What can I help the Navy police with? The closest person I've ever known with military background is my wife's old man and he's been dead for years now," James said.

"We're investigating a cold case. Fourteen years ago you worked as an orderly in Stillwater," Mike said.

"Yeah, so? Wait, this can't be about that missing baby. That was fourteen years ago," James said.

"Why do you think they call it a cold case?" Mike asked.

"Look, I didn't have anything to do with what happened to that kid," James said.

"I never said you did," Mike replied with a smirk. He just loved it when suspects got defensive before he even made an accusation. It just went on to prove their guilt.

"No, you didn't, but you're not the first to suggest it. The Stillwater Sheriff suggested it. To him I was the town hoodlum, even at the age of twenty. If something happened, it was my fault. A baby went missing at the hospital I worked at, so it must have been my fault. Look, I didn't have anything to do with what happened to that baby. Yeah, I was a punk as a kid, but I didn't go around stealing babies," James said.

"You got kids?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, I do. Two girls, seven and ten. No boys," James said while glaring at Gibbs.

"Why'd you change your name?" Mike asked.

"Because I wanted a fresh start. James Terry was a thug who everyone hated. He was the kind of person that got accused of stealing babies because he was there at the time. I wanted to reinvent myself, and it didn't hurt that it ticked off my old man. It certainly wasn't because I stole a kid though,"

"You were there when it happened though," Mike said.

"Yeah, I was there. I actually was just about to leave for the night, but security wouldn't let me. One of the guards said the entire hospital was being locked down. They wouldn't say why. Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled. It had been a long day and I wanted to go home. I didn't find out for another hour what had happened. I finally found one of the nurses and she said that a baby had been taken from the nursery. I was shocked to hear it. It was Stillwater. No one does something like that in Stillwater," James said.

"Except someone did," Mike said.

"Yeah, but that someone wasn't me. I had nothing to gain by taking a baby. If I wanted a kid back then, I would've made my own," James said.

"Maybe that's not why you wanted him. There are plenty of people out there who can't have kids and will pay whatever it takes to get one," Gibbs said.

James laughed at the accusation. "You think I sold him. Look around you, Gibbs. Does it look like I'm living it up in a mansion? I have a house and car, both of which I work my ass off to make payments on. Would I really need to do all that if racked in the dough by selling babies? Look into my financials. You'll find I was never rich. Why is NCIS even interested in this case? As far as I know, that baby and his mother had nothing to do with the military."

"Thanks for your time," Mike said before he and Gibbs started to walk away.

"Wait," James called.

Mike and Gibbs immediately stopped.

James walked over to them. "Look, there is something that might help you. I mentioned this to the police, but they never seemed all that interested in it."

"And what's that?" Mike asked.

"I was there the day that baby was born. That woman got a lot of backlash for having a baby out of wedlock. Most of the hospital talked about her and how sinful it was," James said.

Gibbs felt his blood boil at the way his wife had been treated. Who in the hell were any of those people to judge Shannon. She was a good woman who wanted nothing more than to love and raise her baby. What was wrong with that?

"What's the point of this little tale? Mike asked impatiently.

"Single mothers were rarely heard of in Stillwater. People thought it wasn't right. A lot thought the woman should give her kid up. There was a nurse at the hospital I remember quite well. She spoke about it a lot. I remember her talking about how her daughter and son-in-law kept trying for a kid, but couldn't seem to get pregnant. She said that the Fielding kid should be given to somebody like that," James said.

"Who was this nurse? What's her name?" Mike asked.

"Betty. Betty Carson," James said.

Gibbs exchanged looks with Mike. That was the nurse he'd heard about in Stillwater. The one that had apparently seen the kidnapping without realizing it. It looked like it might be a bit more complicated than that.

"And this wasn't looked into?" Mike asked. He couldn't believe this. What had those idiot cops been doing? Any good investigator knew that you didn't ignore things like that. If someone told you something like that, you looked into it.

"Like I said, no one was interested in hearing it. Betty Carson was a very respected woman. She hadn't been around Stillwater long, but in the time she was there, she made her presence known. Everyone loved her. No one was gonna hear that she might have helped kidnap a baby," James said.

"Alright, thank you. If this pans out, we have more questions for you, so don't go far," Mike said. He then walked away with Gibbs in tow.

"He's right about one thing. That woman was well liked. You should've heard the way the nurse I spoke to talked about her," Gibbs said as they got in the car. "You think he's right that she could've done this?"

"We're gonna find out," Mike said before driving away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A few days later, Gibbs was in his basement working on building a boat that he'd started just a few weeks earlier. It was how he unwound after a particularly stressful day. This last week had been very stressful with the search for Shannon's son finally picking up.

Right now, he was waiting on Mike. His boss had put in some calls to try to find Betty Carson's daughter and son-in-law. It was a waiting game now, which Gibbs absolutely hated. He was not a patient person under normal circumstances, let alone these.

Gibbs soon heard footsteps upstairs. He didn't even look up from what he was doing. He didn't get many visitors, but those that did come to see him knew to just come in. And on the off chance that it was a burglar, well, they'd fine that they tried to rob the wrong person.

The footsteps came closer until Gibbs heard them on the basement steps. Followed quickly after that came Mike's voice. "You know, you shouldn't leave your door unlocked, Probie. Anyone could just walk right in and rob you blind."

"That's what that's for," Gibbs said as he pointed to a rifle leaned against the wall.

Mike looked at what Gibbs was doing. "Are you building a boat? What kind of person builds a boat?"

"I do," Gibbs said before stopping what he was doing and looking at Mike. "So what's up, Boss? You found something, right? If it was just a case, you would've called."

"Betty Carson's daughter and son-in-law live on a navy base in Newark, New Jersey," Mike said.

"And?" Gibbs asked impatiently.

"And they have a fourteen-year-old son," Mike said.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Gibbs asked before heading for the stairs.

"Hang on a second, Probie. There's protocol to be followed. You don't even know that this kid is Shannon's," Mike said. It probably was, but he didn't want the man to get too excited just to find out they were wrong

"What are the odds? The grandson of our suspect being the same age as the boy we're looking for? They don't make coincidences that big, Boss," Gibbs said. He knew inside him that that kid was Shannon's. He just knew.

"You're probably right, but proof is still needed before start trying to claim this boy. Look, the local LEOs are picking them all up. And yes, we are heading to Newark, but I think you should try not to stock all your hopes in him just yet. Now we need proof. Do you have anything of Shannon's that can be used for DNA?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, sure, I can get that. What's his name, Mike? What's the boy's name?" Gibbs asked. He didn't want to keep referring to the child as 'the kid' or 'Shannon's son'. He wanted something else to call him.

"Timothy. His name is Timothy McGee."


	7. Chapter 7

Timothy McGee walked into the house he shared with his parents and younger sister. He practically dragged himself inside. He'd just gotten back from wrestling practice which he hated. His father made him join the team. Said it would help to toughen him up for the Navy.

Tim cringed at the very thought. No part of him wanted to join the Navy. He got extremely seasick. In fact, his stomach got queasy at the very idea of being on a boat. His father would never understand that though. To him, it was Tim's duty as his son to be a sailor.

Tim hung up his jacket and headed into the kitchen where he found his mother and sister eating at the table.

"Hey, Tim. How was practice?" his mother asked.

"How it always is. It sucked," Tim said before opening the refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of water.

"Tim, you should give it a chance. It'll be good for you."

"You've been saying that for a year now. It still sucks as much as when I started. I don't understand why I can't just stop," Tim said. He hated this all so much. His father was constantly riding him about joining the Navy, and when he wasn't, he was putting him down for not living up to the McGee name. His mother never said anything to defend him either. She just told him that his dad knew best and he should listen to him.

"Look, we just want what's best for you. You need to do things like normal kids instead of holing yourself in your room all day on that damned computer. Honestly, I don't know why your grandmother bought you that thing," she said.

Tim flinched at the way his mother talked about him not being normal. He always knew he wasn't the son his parents wanted, but to hear his mother talk about him being abnormal still really hurt.

Soon, they all heard the front door open. Tim immediately groaned. "Great, Dad's home."

Soon a man with blond hair wearing a navy uniform.

"Hey, John, welcome home. Dinner's on the stove."

"Thank you, Anna," John said before going over to the table and picking up his daughter. "How are you doing, Sarah?"

"I'm good, Daddy," Sarah said.

Tim went to the stove to get something to eat, but he was stopped by his father's voice.

"I got a call from your coach today, Timothy. He says he's ready to kick you off the team," John said.

Tim groaned. "Dad, I told you, I'm no good at wrestling. I hate it."

"Would you rather this or football because you're going to do one or the other? You have four years to get ready for the Navy and this will help you gain the muscle and endurance you need. This is none negotiable, Timothy. Now I've told your coach that you're going to try harder and you will, even if I have to hire someone to work with you every day until you're perfect. You got me, boy?"

Before Tim could answer, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," he said before going to answer the door. When he did, he found two men standing in front with a woman in back of them. "Hi. Can I help you?"

One of the men flashed a badge. "Police. Are your parents home, son?"

"Uh, yeah. Mom, Dad!" Tim called.

John and Anna immediately came into the room. "What's going on?" Anna asked.

"Mr. and Mrs. McGee?" one of the detectives asked.

"It's Commander McGee," John corrected with a glare.

"I'm Detective Williams and this is Detective Quinn. We're with the Newark PD. We need you to come with us," the detective said.

"For what?" Anna asked.

"Forget it. We're not going anywhere with you. Do you have any idea who I am?" John asked outraged.

"Sir, who you are is irrelevant. We have a situation that needs to be cleared up," Detective Williams said.

"Then clear it up here because we're not going anywhere," John said again.

"Sir, if we have to, we will arrest you. Don't make us do that in front of your boy," Williams said.

Tim was wide-eyed. He couldn't believe what was happening. Actually, he didn't really know what was happening. All he really knew was that the cops were threatening to arrest his parents and he had no idea why.

"John, please, let's just go and find out what they want. We can clear it up and be home in an hour or two," Anna said.

John continued to glare at the detectives. He wanted to tell them to go to hell, but there was no way in hell he would go through the embarrassment of being taken off Base in handcuffs. "You people are gonna pay for this! Timothy, you will watch Sarah. Make sure she is in bed on time."

Just then the woman standing behind the detectives stepped forward. "I'm afraid that's not possible. I'm Sandra Reynolds with Social Services. Your children will be coming with me."

Tim began to get scared. Whatever was going on was so bad that Social Services was removing him and his sister from their home. What the heck was going on?

"What? No, you can't just take our children," Anna said with shock and fear in her voice.

"Yes, Ma'am, I can," Mrs. Reynolds said.

"Let's go, folks," Detective Williams said.

"You people are going to wish you were never born by the time I'm finished with you," John said icily.

"Threatening us is not going to help you any, sir," Detective Quinn said

"Let's go, Anna," John said before taking his wife by the arm and leading her out of the house. The detectives went with them.

Mrs. Reynolds walked into the house and over to Tim. "Hello. You must be Tim."

Tim nodded numbly. "What's going on?"

"Don't worry, sweetheart. You're not in any trouble," she assured the boy.

"What about my parents? Are they in trouble?" Tim asked.

"That has yet to be determined. I say we go get your sister and be on our way. Have you eaten yet?" Mrs. Reynolds asked.

Tim shook his head. "No. Sarah did, but I didn't get the chance yet."

"We'll get you something to eat then. Come on."

Tim nodded and led the way to the kitchen to get his sister.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A half an hour later, Tim was in a hospital room being inspected by a doctor. He wasn't sure why though. There was nothing wrong with him.

"Where'd you get the bruise on your arm, son?" the doctor asked.

"Probably from wrestling practice or something. I'm not sure," Tim answered honestly. He couldn't remember every bruise he got. He got a lot of them, either from wrestling or from bullies at school.

"What about the one on your neck?" the doctor asked.

That one Tim remembered. "I got shoved into a locker yesterday. A guy in my math class didn't like the fact that I outshined him."

"Okay, well, you seem to be in good health. A nurse is going to be in, in a few minutes to take some blood and then you can go," the doctor said before walking out of the room.

Tim got up and went over to the door. He opened it a crack and listened as the doctor and social worker spoke.

"He has a couple of bruises, but he was able to explain then. He wrestles and has a bully issue," the doctor said.

"So you don't think it was domestic?" the social worker asked.

"Unlikely. Kids who are abused typically become nervous and upset when asked about their bruises. While Tim certainly seemed nervous, that nervousness didn't intensify when I questioned him. His mood was consistent the entire time.

Tim closed the door. So that was what this was all about. They thought his dad was hitting him? He supposed it wasn't that farfetched. There were times when he wondered if his father would get pissed enough to hit him. It never happened though. That wasn't to say his father never hurt him though because he had. He just preferred to do it with words.

The door soon opened again and a nurse walked in. "Hello."

"Hi," Tim said.

"I just need to take some blood. Do you wanna hop back up on the table?" the nurse asked.

Tim cringed, but did as she asked. He hated needles, but he would do it without a fuss if it got him out of here. He just wanted this over with as soon as possible. Little did he know that this was only the beginning, and when it finally was over, his life would never be the same.


	8. Chapter 8

Tim was really distressed. He thought after the hospital he and Sarah would be taken back to his parents, but it didn't happen. Although, he wasn't really looking forward to going home. He could already hear his father's rant about how the local police were a bunch of idiots who had no right to embarrass him in this way. He could also knew that his father would probably blame him for the accusation of abuse. But the fact that they weren't going home left him worried. He thought it was all cleared up when that doctor said he wasn't abused.

Tim was even more distressed by the fact that when they reached Social Services, he and Sarah were separated. Sarah seemed okay and the social worker said she was gonna be taken to a playroom, but he still didn't like her being alone in this place without him.

Tim, meanwhile, was taken to what looked to be an interview room. There was a table there and a few chairs.

"Go ahead and have a seat, Tim," Mrs. Reynolds said.

Not seeing much choice, Tim did as he was told. "Why am I here? My parents don't hurt me." Okay that was kind of a lie. They hurt him a lot, but not in the way that Mrs. Reynolds thought they had. And they would never, ever hurt Sarah.

Mrs. Reynolds sat down across from Tim. "So you figured out what was going on at the hospital. I'm afraid that's not as far as it goes, son. I need to ask you some questions."

"Then I can go home?" Tim asked. Again, he wasn't wild about going home to be screamed at, but this entire situation was freaking him out. He just wanted it to be over.

Mrs. Reynolds hesitated a little before answering. "Okay, I'm going to be honest with you right now. You and your sister won't be going home tonight. Once, we're finished here; I'll be taking you and your sister to a group home for the night."

Tim's fear increased by about ten. He knew what a group home was. There was a guy at his school who was in a group home and he described it as hell. "W…why?"

"Because there are things that need to worked out between this office, the police, and your parents," she said.

"Like what? What did my parents do wrong?" Tim asked.

"I'm hoping you can help with that. May I ask you some questions?" Mrs. Reynolds asked.

Tim nodded.

"Okay. Can you tell me anything about when you were born? Did your parents tell me anything?" Mrs. Reynolds asked.

Tim shook his head. "No, not really. They've never brought it up and I've never asked.

"You've never seen pictures of your mother pregnant with you?" she asked.

"No. I never really looked either. Wait, you're not trying to say I'm adopted, are you?" Tim asked. Then despite the situation, he laughed. "That… that's ridiculous."

"Why do you say that?" Mrs. Reynolds asked.

"Because my parents would've told me if I was adopted," Tim said confidently. Actually, they would've thrown it in his face, especially his father. He would've taken great pleasure in telling him how his weakness must've come from his real parents. He would've said how no son of his would be so pathetic. No, he would know by now if he was adopted.

"What about your sister?" Mrs. Reynolds asked.

"She's not adopted either. I know that for a fact. I was there when she was born," Tim said. He remembered his mother's pregnancy and Sarah's birth very well. His parents had been ecstatic. They'd assumed they couldn't have any more kids. To them, she was their miracle. They doted on her. Secretly, it made Tim a little jealous. He loved his sister to death, but he couldn't help but be jealous of the way she treated in comparison to him. He was his parents' disappointment while Sarah was treated like she could do no wrong. It just didn't seem fair.

"Okay, now I wanna ask you about your home life. Are you happy?" Mrs. Reynolds asked.

"Sure," Tim lied.

"You don't seem too confident about that," Mrs. Reynolds observed.

"I love my parents," Tim said honestly. No matter what else, that much was true. He hated the way his parents treated him and sometimes he wondered if they loved him, but he loved them.

"I'm sure you do, Tim, but that doesn't mean you have to be one hundred percent happy with things in your house," Mrs. Reynolds said.

"I'm fine. I'm happy," Tim lied. He didn't see the point of telling her otherwise. It wouldn't change anything since calling your kid names wasn't abuse. About all that telling her would do was cause his father to start screaming at him when he found out.

"Alright, if you're sure. How about we go get your sister and get the two of you to the group home. It's late. I know you must be tired," Mrs. Reynolds said before standing up.

That was the last thing Tim wanted, but he knew he had no choice, so he got up and followed her.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

John and Anna McGee were currently in an interrogation room waiting for the police. John was pacing angrily. "This is ridiculous. These people are going to hear from me about this. No one does this to me!"

"John, what the hell is going on? What do they think we've done?" Anna asked worriedly.

"Oh, calm down, Anna. It's probably just a misunderstanding. It's a misunderstanding these idiots are going to pay dearly for though," John said angrily.

"They took the children, John. What kind of misunderstanding could cause that? What if it's about…?"

"Don't! Do not even say it!" John yelled. He knew what his wife was alluding to and he would not hear it. He told her years ago when he got back from deployment and found out what she and her crazy mother had done that they were to never speak of it.

"But what if it is?" Anna asked.

"It's not! I made sure no one would ever find out about that, so just drop it!" John ordered.

Just then, the door opened and the two detectives from before came in. "Hello, folks. Please have a seat."

"No. I demand that you release us immediately! I am a commander in the United States Navy! You have no right to keep me here!" John yelled.

"Actually, I do. You're not above the law, Commander. We have every right to question you, and should we find you've done something illegal, we then have the right to hand you over to NCIS. Sit down," Detective Williams ordered.

John glared daggers at the man, but he eventually sat down, as did Anna.

The detectives sat across from the McGees. "You've been read your rights, so we'll get started. Do either of you know a Betty Carson?"

"T…that's my mother," Anna said nervously.

"And we haven't spoken to her in thirteen years, so she has nothing to do with us," John said. He'd forced his wife to cut off ties after what happened. He wasn't going to take the chance of her getting caught and it being tied to them.

"So about a year after your son was born. Would you tell us about that?" Detective Quinn asked.

"What's to tell? He was born in Maryland. My wife was apparently in labor for thirty-six hours. I was overseas at the time," John said. He made sure to put in that last part. It was pretty clear that his wife had been right and these people knew something. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure they didn't discover the truth about Timothy, but if it didn't work, he would make sure that he was not implicated. He would not go down for it. This was not his idea. He didn't even know about it until he came back from deployment a year later. He was livid when he found out. No part of him wanted to raise someone else's kid. The only thing that kept him from turning Anna and Betty in and getting rid of the kid was that his career would never withstand the embarrassment of his wife stealing a baby.

"Yes, we have his birth certificate, however, we're not convinced that it's real," Detective Williams sad.

"You think we forged our son's birth certificate? Why would we do that?" John asked.

"Maybe to cover up the fact that you obtained him through less than legal means," Detective Quinn suggested.

"We spoke to a few people who knew you both before you had your son and then again before your daughter was born. They all state that you were believed to be infertile," Williams added.

"Well, we were wrong. It happens. When Timothy was born, we thought he was our miracle and that we wouldn't get another one. We found out otherwise when Anna became pregnant with Sarah," John said.

"We'll see about that," Quinn said before taking a folded document out of his pocket and placing it in front of the McGees. "That's a warrant for your DNA. We will be testing it against Young Timothy."

John didn't even look at the document. "Like hell! You're not taking our DNA! I won't allow it!"

"You don't have a choice, sir. You'll either do it or you'll go to jail. And in any event, we'll still be able to prove the truth. The DNA of the woman that boy actually belongs to will be here by morning. We'll have proof that you two and Mrs. Carson stole that child," Quinn said.

"You're not testing my son's DNA against anything! I'm calling my lawyer and I'm going to put a stop to this!" John told them.

"You're welcome to call your lawyer. In fact, I'd encourage it, but he's just going to tell you that you have no choice here," Williams said before he and Quinn stood up.

"We'll get you that phone call," Quinn said before the two of them walked out of the room.


	9. Chapter 9

Mike and Gibbs made it to Newark the next morning. They went straight to the police station from the airport. Once there, they approached the front desk where a uniformed officer was stationed. "Can I help you?"

Mike took out his badge. "Special Agent Franks, this is special Agent Gibbs. NCIS. We're here to meet Detectives Quinn and Williams."

"Of course. That's Detective Quinn behind you," the officer said.

They both turned around to see a detective with dark brown hair stop to look at them. "Can I help you?"

Mike flashed his badge once more.

"Oh, right, Agents Franks and Gibbs. Please, come with me. My partner's in our conference room waiting," Quinn said.

They both followed Quinn through the bullpen and down the hall. They were led into a room where two other detectives were. Gibbs recognized one of them as Detective Barns. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"Mr. Gibbs, good to see you again," Barns said.

"The feeling isn't mutual. What are you doing here?" Gibbs asked again while glaring.

"This was my case, sir," Barns said.

"A case you botched up. If you had done your job right instead of half-assing it, this kid would've been returned years ago," Mike said.

"I resent the implication that this is my fault," Barn said irritably.

"It is your damn fault! You ignored the evidence. If you had followed every lead the way you were supposed to, my wife would've known her child! She spent fourteen years counting on you to find her boy and was disappointed. It took us less than four months to find him," Gibbs said.

"Okay, guys, let's calm down. For one, we don't know for sure that Timothy McGee is the same child that was taken from Stillwater," Williams said.

"I think we do, Williams. You heard the Commander. That bastard is hiding something in regards to that kid," Quinn said.

"We should still wait on the DNA test. Do you have something of your wife's for us to use, Agent Gibbs?" Williams asked.

"Yeah," Gibbs said before holding out a bag he was holding of Shannon's hairbrush. "How long will it take?"

"At least a day," Williams said as he took the offered object. "In the meantime, we should sit and I'll explain what's happened thus far," Williams said.

They all nodded and sat around the large table in the middle of the room.

"Okay, so we had the McGees picked up last night. Timothy and his sister were taken by Social Services," Williams said.

"His sister? He has a sister?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, the McGees have a six-year-old daughter named Sarah. Now it looks like she might actually be theirs, but we'll run a DNA test on her too," Williams said.

"Hopefully. The McGee's aren't cooperating right now," Quinn said.

"What do you mean they're not cooperating? Compel them to," Barns said.

"We have. We've gotten the court order. Commander McGee has decided to fight it though. He's contacted a lawyer to try to get the decision reversed. Rest assured, it won't happen. In the meantime, we already have the boy's DNA and the order is still in effect. We will test him," Quinn said.

"They know he isn't theirs. They know he's Shannon's," Gibbs said through gritted teeth. He was going to make these bastards pay for taking Timothy away from Shannon. They were going to pay for causing both of them such pain.

"Most likely. The mother at least must of known," Williams said.

"She's not his mother. Don't call her his mother," Gibbs said fiercely.

"She is to him, Agent Gibbs. Anna McGee raised the boy for fourteen years. You can't pretend that didn't happen," Williams said.

"And if he wants to call her his mother that's his right, but you're not him. You know she stole him. Do not call her his mother," Gibbs said again.

"Okay, Mrs. McGee then. We think it's most likely that she knew," Williams said.

"They both knew. I'm telling you now; the Commander knows that kid isn't his. That's why he's fighting the DNA test and why he was so quick to present an alibi," Quinn said.

"What alibi?" Gibbs asked.

"Commander McGee was apparently overseas when the boy was born. I think he's gearing up to place all the blame at his wife's feet if necessary," Quinn said.

"What a wonderful husband," Mike said sarcastically.

"Yeah, this guy is a piece of work. We're talking about the type of military man who thinks his rank gives him the right to do whatever he wants without consequence. He spouted more than once about who he was and what that meant," Williams said.

"Yeah, I know the type," Gibbs said. He'd seen a few men like that during his time with the marines. There was the occasional guy who believed he was immune to the rules the rest of the world had to face because of what his rank was.

"Anyway, we have a theory of what probably went down. We think Betty Carson and her daughter…"

"Whoa, hold on. Betty Carson. I remember her. She was one of the nurses working the night the Fielding baby was taken. She saw what happened. There's no way she could've done this. Everyone agreed she was a terrific woman," Barns said.

"Everybody but the one that told you she should be a suspect. She spoke about how wrong it was for a single unwed mother to have a child. She stated on more than one occasion that the boy should be given up," Mike said.

"The only person to say that was an orderly who had several brushes with the law himself. He wasn't exactly credible," Barns said.

"So you just dismissed him without even investigating what he was saying, and because of that, my wife never got to meet her son!" Gibbs said angrily. He really wanted to reach over and punch this guy. If Barns had done his job right, this would've all been solved twenty years ago. Shannon would've gotten her baby back and he would've grown up the way he was supposed to.

"I gave that accusation as much attention as it deserved," Barns said.

"And yet Carson was guilty. You screwed the pooch, Barns. That wacked out nurse took that baby," Mike said.

"Gentlemen, let's stop this. Playing what ifs with what happened twenty years ago isn't going to help anyone, particularly not Tim McGee. I think we can all agree that he's the priority here," Williams said.

Gibbs nodded. "I wanna see him."

"I'm afraid that's not possible right now. The boy's paternity has yet to be determined. Child Services is not going to consent to you seeing him until that happens," Williams said.

"That is my wife's son. He's alone and scared. He needs someone there to tell him everything will be alright," Gibbs said.

"Agent Gibbs, I know you're very anxious right now, but you have to remember that to Tim, you're a stranger. He's not gonna feel all that comforted by you right now," he said.

"The fact that I'm a stranger right now is all the more reason for him to meet me. That way I'm not a stranger when he comes with me. Because that is what's going to happen. I don't care what I have to do. It's gonna happen," Gibbs said. He knew that it wouldn't be easy and he might have a fight on his hands, but Tim was his wife's child. He belonged with her family, meaning with him.

"When the DNA comes back, we can arrange for that to happen, but not before. We need to ascertain his paternity before anything else is done," Williams said.

"Fine. What about the McGees. Where are they?" Gibbs asked.

"They're in a holding cell for not complying with the court order. We figure it won't last long. The Commander isn't too keen on being locked up," Quinn said.

"I wanna see them," Gibbs said. He was going to have his say with the people who shattered his wife's heart.

"Agent Gibbs, I'm not sure that's a good idea. You're justifiably angry right now and speaking to Commander McGee is not going to make that any better, trust me," Quinn said.

"I don't. My wife isn't here to confront these people herself, so I'm gonna do it for her," Gibbs said firmly.

"He'll be fine. I'll go with him," Mike said.

"Okay, we'll arrange the meeting, but you'll need to keep your cool."

Gibbs nodded.


	10. Chapter 10

John McGee was pissed. He was in a holding cell for criminals. He couldn't believe the audacity of these people. How dare they lock him away like a common criminal? Didn't they realize who he was? He was a navy commander. He deserved more respect than this.

"John, what are we going to do?" Anna asked worriedly.

"Shut up, Anna," John said angrily. He was beyond angry with her. This was all her fault. If she hadn't just turned her mother down when she suggested raising a stolen kid this never would've happened.

"John, they know what we did," Anna said.

John whirled around at her furiously. "What you did! You and your mother. I never wanted this!"

"We couldn't have children of our own. It was our only way," Anna said.

"Really? Then please explain our daughter to me," John said sarcastically.

"Okay, well, we didn't know we could. We wanted a child," Anna said.

"Not someone else's, I didn't. How many times did I tell you I didn't want to adopt? What, did you think when I said that I meant go steal one? I didn't want to raise someone else's kid. You knew that. You also knew that by the time I got back, I wouldn't do anything about what you did because it could cost me my career," John said.

"That doesn't matter now. It's the past. We can't take it back. We have to figure out what to do now. If we don't do something, they're going to take Tim away from us," Anna cried.

"Well, that wouldn't be all that horrible as far as I'm concerned. That runt's nothing but a little weakling. He's hardly McGee material. But if anyone learns the truth, it all ends. I lose my career, we lose our daughter, and possibly even our freedom," John said. He would be damned if he let that happen. He wasn't going down for this. H would sell Anna our first.

"So what do we do?" Anna asked.

"Right now, we do what we've been doing. We fight the DNA order. The lawyer's working on it," John said. The lawyer he'd hired had tried to tell him there was no fighting the order, but he was hearing none of that. He'd ordered the man to fight the order at all costs.

Just then, they both heard someone coming. They soon saw one of the detectives from before with two other men. One of them had a cru cut, telling John that he was a marine. "What the hell's going on?"

"Commander and Mrs. McGee, meet Special Agents Franks and Gibbs. Agent Gibbs is the stepfather of the boy you stole," the detective said.

Gibbs was already glaring daggers at the man in front of him. He wanted to reach through the bars and strangle the son of a bitch, and that was after barely hearing one sentence from the man.

"More baseless accusations, I see," John said.

"They had enough base to compel you to take a DNA test," Mike said.

"I'm not taking any test," John said firmly.

"Which just goes to prove your guilt, but we don't need you. My wife's DNA is already on its way to the hospital. By tomorrow, we'll have the answer without your help," Gibbs said.

"Like hell! My lawyer is already fighting the court order. You won't be testing Timothy's DNA," John said with a glare.

"Commander, I'm sure your lawyer has already told you how futile it is for you to fight this. No judge is going to reverse another judge's decision just because you say so. You may be someone in the Navy, but you're nothing here. You could be the Mayor and you'd still be just another lowlife here. I suggest you realize that. Now I'll leave you folks alone for a few minutes," Quinn said before walking away.

"You know, I wonder how long you'll even be someone in the Navy once the world finds out you stole a baby," Gibbs said.

"We haven't done anything," Anna said.

"Shut up, Anna!" John snapped.

"What a nice way to talk to your wife. You talk to your boy like that? Oh, sorry. He aint your boy, is he?" Mike asked.

"How I talk to _my _son is none of your business," John said.

"It sure as hell is my business! I swear to God, if you've done anything to that boy, I'll kill you," Gibbs said menacingly. Less than five minutes with the Commander and he already could tell the man was at least somewhat abusive. If he'd laid a hand on Tim or degraded him in any way, Gibbs would make him pay. For one, hurting any child was evil and deserved the worst kind of punishment, but Tim was Shannon's. No one got to hurt her child without answering to him.

John laughed and walked closer to the bars. "You really think you can threaten me? I'm a Navy commander. You think I'm afraid of a pansy ass marine? He's my son and I'll do what I want with him."

Gibbs reached through the bars and grabbed him roughly by the shirt, causing the man's body to press against the bars. "He is not your son! He was my wife's son! And soon enough, he will be mine! Now I don't know what you've done to him, but if you've hurt him, you will pay. And you will never get anywhere near him again! That is a given!

Mike came over and started pulling Gibbs away. "Alright, Probie, let him go."

Gibbs held him there for another minute and then let go.

"You can't take our son," Anna said.

"He's not your son, lady. You stole him. And watch me," Gibbs said before he and Mike walked away.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day, Gibbs and Mike were led back into the same conference room as yesterday by a patrol officer. They found both detectives from yesterday there as well as a woman with dark hair who looked to be in her mid to late forties.

"Ah, Agent Gibbs, Agent Franks, this is Sandra Reynolds. She's representing Social Services. She's actually the one to remove the children when we brought the McGees in," Detective Williams said.

Gibbs nodded to her. "Is Tim alright?"

"He's as I would expect in a young man in his circumstances. He's very confused as to what is going on and more than a little bit scared. He's also very brave though. He's holding it together, probably for his younger sister. They seem quite close,"

"What's gonna happen to her?" Gibbs asked. He couldn't help but think about the other child as well. She was innocent in all this. It wasn't her fault that her parents were baby thieves.

"That depends on a lot of variables. First being if the DNA results show that Young Tim was the son of your wife. And even then, Sarah's paternity can't be determined until The McGees comply with the court order for a DNA test. Then it depends on their complicity in the abduction if it turns out the suspicions regarding Tim are accurate," Mrs. Reynolds explained.

"To that end, we have an answer," Williams said as he held up an envelope. He then opened it and began to read. "Alright, according to this, Timothy McGee and the sample belonging to Shannon Fielding Gibbs is a match."

Gibbs let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. It was true. That kid belonged to Shannon. He'd done it. He'd fulfilled Shannon's last wish. He'd found her son. Now it was a matter of bringing him home and helping him to deal with the fallout from all of this. "I wanna see him. When can I see him?"

"I can arrange a meeting, but, Agent Gibbs, you need to understand that this is not going to be easy. Tim has no idea that he isn't the biological son of John and Anna McGee. In fact, when the idea of adoption was insinuated, he laughed it off as an impossibility," Mrs. Reynolds said.

"I understand it's going to be difficult. I didn't expect it to be easy. I wouldn't respond well to finding out my parents weren't my parents, let alone a fourteen-year-old kid. But no matter how hard it is, I'm going to be there for him and I want him to know that. He needs to know that someone is here for him," Gibbs said.

"I assume it's your ultimate goal to take custody," Mrs. Reynolds said.

"I would've thought that was a given. He's my wife's kid. If Tim had been raised by Shannon the way she was supposed to and still died, he would be with me right now. It wouldn't even be a question. There shouldn't be one now," Gibbs said.

"If there were no blood relatives, perhaps. Does Tim have any living blood relatives?" she asked.

"He has a grandmother. I've already spoken to her about this. She's not interested in taking custody," Gibbs said. He'd spoken to Joanne about it and he was less than thrilled with her stance on the matter. They got into a huge screaming match about it. Joanne seemed to agree with Betty Carson to at least a certain degree. In her eyes, Tim was a huge scandal. She didn't want anything to do with him. "Look, when can I see Tim?"

"Today. I'll contact the group home he's at and let them know we're coming," Mrs. Reynolds said.

"He's in a group home?" Gibbs asked unhappily. He knew the types of things that went on in a place like that. He didn't like the idea of Tim being there.

"Yes. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a foster family on such short notice. I'll go make that call," Mrs. Reynolds said before leaving the room.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later, Gibbs was waiting in a room at the group home Tim was staying in. The room was nice enough. It had a couch, a few chairs, and even a TV. Still, he wanted Tim out of there as soon as humanly possible.

Gibbs soon heard another presence in the room. He turned to see Mrs. Reynolds come in with a boy with dirty blonde hair and green eyes. Gibbs immediately locked eyes with the boy. He could see some similarities to Shannon there. They weren't overwhelming, but there were some subtle similarities.

"Tim, this is Agent Gibbs," Mrs. Reynolds introduced.

"N...nice to meet you, sir," Tim stuttered. He couldn't help but be intimidated by this man. Not only did he look kind of frightening, but he was also an agent. He probably worked for the FBI or something.

"It's nice to meet you too, Tim, but none of that 'sir' stuff, okay? It's just Gibbs or Jethro he said as he stuck his hand out for the boy.

Tim hesitantly shook his hand.

"So you wanna sit down?" Gibbs asked as motioned towards the couch.

"Okay," Tim said before following him over to the couch and sitting down next to him. "A...are you here about what happened last night?"

"Tim, Agent Gibbs is here because he wants to get to know you," Mrs. Reynolds spoke.

"But why?" Tim asked confused.

"Because you're important," Gibbs said.

"No, I'm not. I'm nobody," Tim said. That was what he heard all the time, from the kids at school to his own father. The only one to ever treat him like he mattered was his grandmother, Penny.

Gibbs felt anger build inside of him. The way Tim said that made it clear that someone told him that, probably the low lives that stole him. "You are not nobody, son. You're important. Don't let anyone tell you you're not, not even your dad."

Tim blushed. This man seemed to figure him right out and his dad. It made him wonder if he'd met his father. "So do you know how long I have to stay here?

"No, I don't. I'm hoping it won't be long though. They treating you okay here?" Gibbs asked.

Tim nodded. "Yeah, I guess so,"

"But I bet it's pretty weird and confusing, huh? I Bet you wanna go home," Gibbs said.

Tim nodded again. Despite the fact that he knew his dad would probably blame him for all this, he wanted to go home. He wanted everything to go back to normal. "Um, are you gonna ask me any questions?"

"No, I'm not here for work. I just wanted to meet you."

"Why though? Do you know my parents?" Tim asked.

"Yes, I do," Gibbs said honestly.

"Oh. Well, do you wanna see Sarah too?" Tim asked.

Gibbs looked at the social worker who nodded her agreement. She obviously didn't want Tim to know the truth yet.

Gibbs nodded. "Sure. You wanna takee to her?"

Tim stood up and lead the way out of the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Penelope Langston was pacing an interview room at the Newark Police Department. She'd arrived earlier in the day to visit with her son and his family got told by one of the sailors that her son and daughter-in-law were arrested and the children had been taken by Social Services. She immediately went to the police station to find out what was going on."

The door suddenly opened and a detective walked in. "Ms. Langston? I'm Detective Williams."

"What is going on here? Why have you arrested my son and daughter-in-law and where are my grandchildren?" Penny demanded to know.

"Have a seat, Ma'am," Williams encouraged.

Penny glared at the man, but sat down after a second.

"I'd like to ask you a few questions about your grandson, Timothy," Williams said. Before this went any further, he wanted to know one way or another if this woman knew what her son and daughter-in-law had done.

"What about him?" Penny asked.

"Were you around when he was born?" Williams asked.

"No, I didn't meet Timothy until about a year after he was born," Penny said.

"Why's that?" Williams asked.

"Because I didn't know about him until then," Penny said. Anna had kept her son a secret until John returned from deployment. She'd been particularly peeved at that. She never understood why her daughter-in-law had kept it a secret. Well, that wasn't completely true. She'd thought that maybe Timothy hadn't been John's son, that Anna cheated on him and was trying to find a way to pass him off as John's. When John got back though, he assured her that he knew the entire time that he had a child. He said it was his idea to keep it a secret until he returned. He said he wanted to be able to introduce the child to her himself.

"Why so long?" William asked.

"My son said he wanted to introduce the child to me himself, which he didn't get to do until he got back from deployment. Why are you asking these questions?" Penny asked irritably.

Williams sighed. "Ms. Langston, we brought your son and daughter-in-law in for suspicion of kidnapping."

"Kidnapping? Who are they supposed to have kidnapped?" Penny asked in shock. She couldn't believe this. Her son was a lot of things. He was certainly an ass and a bully, and he wasn't the best father by any means, but saying he was a kidnapper was taking it a bit far.

"In 1977, a baby was stolen from a hospital in Stillwater Pennsylvania. That baby was Young Timothy," Williams said.

"I'm sorry what?" Penny asked in shock. This was unbelievable. This detective had just said that her grandson was a stolen child. That was not possible. "You've lost your mind. Timothy was not stolen."

"Yes, Ma'am, he was. We have DNA proof of that," Williams said.

Penny was surprised to hear that, but she just assumed her original theory was correct and that Anna simply cheated on John. "Okay, even if John is not Timothy's father, that doesn't mean he was stolen. I'm sure you've heard of paternity disputes before.

"We didn't test your son, Ma'am. He refused to take a DNA test, even when there was a court order compelling him to. We tested the boy's DNA against the mother of the stolen child. It was definitive. Timothy is the son of Shannon Fielding Gibbs," Williams explained.

"I wanna see it," Penny said. She wasn't going to believe any of this until she saw the results for herself.

"I can arrange for that to happen, but there is no doubt about it. That young man is not your grandson," Williams said as gently as possible.

"The hell he's not!" Penny practically growled. She didn't care what any test said. Timothy was her grandson. She loved him very much and that would never change. "You can produce any tests you want. Timothy is and will always be my grandson. This woman you say is his mother. I want to meet her," Penny said.

"Well, unfortunately, that isn't possible. She was killed in a car accident several months ago, along with her daughter," Williams said.

Penny closed her eyes sadly. That was awful. If this was all true, that meant that that woman had died without once seeing her own son. That was cruelty and John may have inflicted that. He may have actually stolen a baby. What was worse was that John never showed much interest in Timothy unless it was to make him feel as big as a pebble. Why would he steal a child he didn't even want? "So what will happen to Timothy, assuming this is true."

"It is true, Ms. Langston. The boy's stepfather is here and he's made it very clear that he wants custody. There'll be a hearing of course, but so long as no blood relatives come forward and he's deemed fit, chances are he'll be given custody.

"I wanna meet him," Penny said. She was going to see this man and determine for herself if he was fit to even be near Timothy. Timothy already had one father who treated him terribly. She would not allow that to happen again. She would take him and Sarah and run for parts unknown if she had to.

"Well, he's not here right now, but I'm sure he'll agree to meet with you when he returns," Williams said.

"What about Sarah? What happens to her?" Penny asked.

"That depends on a DNA test. We don't think she was stolen, but we have to do the test to be sure. Unfortunately, that's being delayed due to the fact that your son and daughter-in-law are fighting the court order.

"What if I give you my DNA? Sarah's my son's child. Her DNA should match mine," Penny said. She wanted this done and over with. The sooner it was, the sooner Sarah at least could be out of Foster Care.

"That would actually be very helpful. We can go to hospital now and get it done. We'll know by morning if she's your granddaughter," Williams said.

"I wanna see my son first."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Penny was lead to the holding cells by a guard. She immediately saw her son and daughter-in-law in one of them. "Hello, John, Anna."

"Mother, what are you doing here?" John asked irritably. The last thing he needed was for him mother to get involved. She would just make the situation worse.

"Well, I guess your wife neglected to tell you I was coming to visit," Penny said.

John glared at his wife.

"She called the other night. I was going to tell you over dinner, but then the police showed up," Anna said.

"Yes, what a lovely position you've put your children in, or I guess I should say your daughter and somebody else's son," Penny said while glaring at the two of them.

"You're going to buy this crap, Mother? Obviously you're as delusional as the police," John said.

"I saw the DNA test, John. They showed it to me right before showing me up here. Timothy is not your son. That woman who lost her son in Stillwater, she is his mother. You stole that boy. How could you do that?" Penny asked. She would never understand how her son could do this. She certainly didn't teach him to do things like this. She'd showed him a healthy respect for law, as well as other people, yet he had no respect for either.

"The DNA test said he wasn't mine?" John asked with fake surprise before turning to his wife. "You stole a baby?"

"What? John, what are you doing?" Anna asked betrayed.

"You told me he was my son. You said you got pregnant just before I left. You said he was our miracle," John said. He was not going down for this. Anna and her crazy mother started this. She could go down for it alone.

"Who do you think you're kidding, John? I'm your mother and I know when you're lying. You are lying through your teeth. You knew he wasn't yours. Maybe you didn't know right when it happened, but you found out and you didn't do a thing. How dare you? How dare either of you? You have destroyed that child's life! He isn't going to get over this. What you've done to him is going to affect him for the rest of his life, no matter where he ends up," Penny said. It was her grandson she was most concerned with. It was going to crush him to find out that John and Anna weren't his parents. He loved them very much, even if they didn't deserve it. This would kill him.

"He's not ending up with anybody, least of all that idiot that was here earlier. He's coming home with me. There's no way I'm going to let some marine take what's mine," John said.

"That's what this is about to you, isn't it? Losing to a marine. That's all you care about. You don't give a damn about Timothy. You know, for the last fourteen years I've made excuses for you. I've told that boy that you loved but couldn't show it. But it wasn't true. You've never cared about him. The only thing he was to you was a way to carry on your legacy in the Navy. Well, that's over. Your days of psychologically abusing my grandson are over," Penny said firmly.

"If he's not my son, he's not your grandson," John said.

"He will always be my grandson! I love that boy with everything inside me. That's why I'm not going to let you or this Gibbs fellow treat him like he's a piece of property. You will not go to war over who has the right to own him! I'll take him from both of you if I have to," Penny swore.

"Don't threaten me, Mother," John said with a glare.

"He's our son. You can't just take him from us," Anna said.

"He's not yours, Anna. You stole him from his mother, and what's worse is that you treated him like trash. You made him feel like he wasn't good enough to be your son. You don't deserve him. You've never deserved him. And finally I have the power to take him away from you. You'll never get near that boy again," Penny said powerfully before walking away.


	13. Chapter 13

Gibbs went back to the police station after leaving the group home. He wanted to know what was going to know what was going to be done about the McGees. In his book, no punishment was enough, but he wanted them to pay as much as possible.

Gibbs found Mike standing by the front desk when he got there. "Hey, Boss. I thought you would've gone back to the hotel by now."

"I was waiting on you, Probie. How'd it go?" Mike asked.

"It was okay. He was really nervous. Can't really blame him for that though. The poor kid's confused as hell right now. He's a good kid though. I can tell that already. He reminds me a lot of Shannon," Gibbs said. Tim was very kind and thoughtful. He put the needs of others, like his sisters, above his own. That was definitely like Shannon. "Look, Boss, you don't have to stay. I'm obviously gonna be here for a while. You should head back."

Mike waved him off. "NCIS can survive without me for a few more days. I already spoke to the director. He's fine with it. I'll go back in a few days. I've got you off for an indefinite amount of time."

"Thanks, Boss," Gibbs said.

Just then, Detective Williams walked over with a middle aged woman with dark hair. "Agent Gibbs, I'm glad you're back. I want you to meet Penelope Langston, Commander McGee's mother.

Gibbs immediately glared at the older woman. "So you sired the baby thief, huh?" Okay, so technically McGee wasn't the one to steal Tim. His mother-in-law was the one to do it, but he knew Tim was stolen and took him anyway. In Gibbs' book, that made him just as guilty.

Penny returned his glare with one of her own. "Well, you're blunt, aren't you?"

"Alright, folks, let's keep this civil," Williams suggested.

Gibbs ignored him. "Your son and his wife have been raising my wife's kid knowing full well they had no right to him. You expect me to be polite."

"Detective, is there a place Agent Gibbs and I can speak alone?" Penny asked without taking her eyes off Gibbs.

"Of course. Follow me," Williams said. He then led them down the hall to one of the interrogation rooms and opened the door for them. "Take all the time you need."

"Thank you," Penny said before walking inside.

Gibbs followed her and closed the door behind him.

"What are your intentions with my grandson, Agent Gibbs?" Penny asked.

Gibbs continued to glare at her coldly. "I don't owe you any kind of explanation, lady. Your son and his wife stole a kid, a kid that belonged to my wife. I don't owe you anything."

Penny took a step towards him. "If you think I'm going to allow you to take Timothy without knowing that he'll be happy with you, you have another thing coming!"

"Allow me? You're not in any position to allow me anything. You have no legal rights where that child is concerned. You are not his parent or guardian!" Gibbs said angrily. He couldn't help but be pissed at this woman. He didn't know whether she knew the truth about Tim before now, but even if she didn't. She was a part of the family that stole him and she was daring to question his fitness as a parent. She had no right.

"Neither are you. You are not his father," Penny shot back.

"I would've been. Had your family not stolen that boy from his mother, I would've been his father. As it stands now, I'm his stepfather. I'm the only one with a right to him now," Gibbs said.

"You think a piece of paper gives you the right to Timothy? Think again. I am not going to let you treat my grandson like a piece of furniture you can stake claim to. And he is my grandson, Agent Gibbs. No legal documents or blood tests are going to change that. That is my grandson! The only thing I care about is his wellbeing," Penny said.

"And you think your bastard of a son and his wife are what's best for him?" Gibbs asked.

"No, I don't," Penny said.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow in surprise. He'd expected her to defend her son and what he'd done both to Shannon and to Tim. "You don't?"

"No. My son shouldn't be anyone's parent, let alone a parent to a child that he essentially stole himself. But just because I don't think Timothy belongs with him doesn't mean I think he belongs with you," Penny said. So far she hadn't liked what she'd heard. This Gibbs fellow kept referring to Timothy like he was something he had a right to have, like he was something to be owned.

"You're right. He doesn't belong with me. He belongs with his mother. Unfortunately, that's not something he's ever going to have. He's never gonna get to know her or even see her. Your son and his wife and mother-in-law robbed them both of that," Gibbs said resentfully.

Penny's face softened slightly. "I am sorry. I'm sorry your wife is dead and I'm even more sorry that she died without having the chance to know what became of her son. No one should have to leave this world without knowing that their children are alright. But right now, Timothy is my only concern. I'm not convinced he's better off with you."

"I don't need to convince you of that," Gibbs said through gritted teeth.

"You do if you don't want a fight on your hands. I meant what I said. I will do anything to ensure Timothy's wellbeing is put first. If that means fighting both you and my son, so be it," Penny said firmly.

"On what grounds? He's not yours. Legally, he's nothing to you. You have no legal right to him," Gibbs said. He knew of course that legality wasn't the only thing that was important when it came to children. He also knew that perhaps he should be a little more understanding with this woman, but he just didn't care to be at this point. He was just too angry at her family and he didn't appreciate her thinking she got to decide whether or not he was worthy of raising a boy that should already be his.

"That's beside the point," Penny said. She didn't care how legal it was or wasn't. She would do what she had to do to protect Timothy.

Gibbs took a few steps towards the older woman. "You go this route, be prepared for the mother of all fights. I promised my wife on her grave that I would take care of her son. That's a promise that I will keep," he said firmly before walking out of the room.


	14. Chapter 14

Gibbs was in a rental car with Mike as Mike parked the car at the hotel parking lot.

"So what happened with that woman? McGee's mother?" Mike asked. His agent hadn't told him what happened. He'd just returned with a sour look on his face. It had been clear that Gibbs hadn't been impressed by the older woman.

Gibbs scowled just at the mention of Penelope Langston. That woman had thoroughly pissed him off. "She was grilling me about my intentions towards Tim. She wanted me to prove myself to her. Like she has the right to question my fitness when it comes to that boy."

Mike nodded. He could see how well that would've gone. Even though her intentions were probably good, Gibbs wouldn't take well to this Langston woman questioning him. For one, logical or not, he saw everyone connected to the McGees, with the exception of maybe their daughter, as the enemy. It was understandable given the circumstances, but he would have to get past it soon. "So what'd you say to her?"

"Exactly what I'm saying to you now. She has no right to question me regarding that kid. She's not his parent or guardian, she's not even his real family. Her bastard son stole him. She has no right to expect anything of me when it comes to him. She said she'd fight me if I didn't prove myself better than her son. I told her she'd have the fight of her life on her hands.

Mike reached over and smacked his agent on the back of the head. He got the hostility, he really did. He would probably be just as angry if he was in Gibbs' shoes. But this was more than that. Gibbs was focusing so much on his anger that he was losing sight on what was best for the boy.

Gibbs stared at Mike in surprise as he rubbed the back of his head. It wasn't the first time he'd been slapped by his boss, but it was the first time that he didn't see it coming. "What was that for?"

"Get it together, Probie. You're gonna put that kid through a fight like that. You really think ripping a fourteen-year-old in half is the best option?" Mike asked.

"Hey, back off! This is not my fault! The McGees took a stolen baby knowing full well he belonged to someone else. They are responsible for this, not me! I'm dealing with it the best way I can!" Gibbs yelled defensively.

"Yeah, I get it, Probie, you're pissed. Fine, go ahead and be pissed, but take it out on the right people. The McGees are despicable human beings. They knew that kid was stolen and didn't give a damn about the pain it would cause his family and ultimately him. This Langston woman, do you think she knew?" Mike asked.

"No," Gibbs said. No matter what else, he didn't get the impression that she knew before that Tim wasn't really her grandson. It was quite the opposite actually. She didn't seem very supportive of how her son and daughter-in-law treated Tim and even went so far as to say that she didn't think Tim belonged with t

hem.

"Then why the hell are you acting this way? From what you've told me, that woman is after the same thing you are, the best for that young man," Mike said.

"What's best for him is to be as far away from anything related to the McGees as humanly possible," Gibbs said firmly.

"Really? That include his six-year-old sister?" Mike asked.

"That's different," Gibbs said. Sarah was a child. She wasn't responsible for the actions of her parents. Although, realistically, he supposed that neither was the Langston woman.

"It doesn't seem much different to me. That little girl is tied to the McGees and she's also tied to the boy. Look, I get it. I get why you'd want to phase the McGees completely out. They don't even fit the criteria to be called human beings. But you're never going to be able to erase them. You can cut them out of the kid's life and you should, but you can't make it as if they never existed. And that's why I think you really wanna fight this woman. You think with her gone, you'll be able to do the impossible and make him forget," Mike said.

Gibbs didn't say anything. He couldn't really deny it. He did want the McGees gone completely. He knew Tim wouldn't forget them, but he did wanna get rid of all reminders.

"Pushing this woman away isn't going to accomplish you're goal. Nothing will. But working with her might help you, and more importantly, the kid. Isn't what you want?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," Gibbs said. He was starting to see what Mike was saying. The way he acted wasn't in Tim's best interest. He was letting his anger over what happened and grief over Shannon get the best of him.

"She's his grandmother. She can help him adjust to going to live with you. With her, he won't feel so weird around you.," Mike said.

"Even if she could, I'm not sure she'd want to. She thinks I'm no better than the McGees," Gibbs said. He supposed he couldn't blame her. Thinking back, he had been kind of an ass. In her mind, he probably was behaving a lot like her son. He wanted what was best for Tim, but looking back on how he spoke, it did sound more like he wanted to possess him.

"Then show her she's wrong," Mike said before getting out of the car and leaving Gibbs alone.


	15. Chapter 15

The next day found Gibbs visiting with Tim once more. He had been told the day before he could see the boy when he wanted as long as there was a representative from the group home supervising and he didn't try to tell Tim about his true parentage. The social worker had told him that had to done in the presence of a psychiatrist when they finally decided to tell him.

"How much longer do I have to stay here? No one will answer that question," Tim said a few minutes after Gibbs had gotten there. He was getting really frustrated actually. He didn't understand what was going on and no one would explain it to him.

"That's because no one knows the answer. There are some complicated things going on right now and we just have to figure it all out," Gibbs said.

"What complicated things? Why do Sarah and I have to be here? Why won't anyone tell us anything?" Tim asked.

Gibbs looked across the room at the woman supervising as if to tell her to chime in anytime. He couldn't tell Tim the truth, but he couldn't just say nothing. He had no idea what he should say.

"It's not my place to get involved," the woman said.

Gibbs rolled his eyes. So these idiots were going to dictate what he could and couldn't say, but weren't going to help him when questions arrived. That was just great. "Alright, here's the thing, kid. I would like to tell you what is going on. I think the sooner you know the better, as it's not something that's gonna go away anytime soon, but the people here don't want you to know yet. They think you're not ready to hear about it."

Tim frowned. That made no sense to him. If Agent Gibbs was right when he said this wasn't just going to go away then shouldn't he know now so he could start dealing with whatever it was? What was he supposed to do? Just stay in the dark when everything around him seemed to be falling apart. He should at least be prepared for whatever it was. And it wasn't like it was any better for him to just sit there and imagine what was going on. That was all he'd been doing for the past couple of days and it was terrifying him. "Well, when do they think I'll be ready to know what's going on?"

"I don't know, but just know that it's gonna be okay. It may not seem like it for a while, but it will be," Gibbs assured him.

"Are you sure you're a friend of my dad's?" Tim asked kind of jokingly. He then realized what he said and knew he'd crossed a line. His father would consider that disrespectful to his friend and he didn't tolerate disrespect. "I…I didn't mean that. It was just…"

"Hey, it was a good one," Gibbs said with a smirk. "And I didn't say I was a friend of your dad's. I said I knew him, but I didn't say we were friends."

Tim breathed a sigh of relief when he realized Agent Gibbs wasn't angry. The last thing he wanted when he got home was a lecture. He already knew one of these was coming for this whole mess, even though he wasn't sure how this could be his fault. But his father would find a way.

"So what do you do for fun? You play sports?" Gibbs asked. He decided to get Tim's mind on something other than the crap that was going on around him.

"I wrestle," Tim said with as much enthusiasm as a snail. He really hated wrestling.

"You don't sound so happy about that," Gibbs said.

Tim hesitated. He knew Agent Gibbs said he wasn't his dad's friend, but that could be a trick and either way they knew each other. The last thing he needed was his dad knowing he was talking behind his back. The man got mad when he complained about the bullies at school to his teachers. His dad had always said he should handle his problems like a man. So he could only imagine the man's face if he found out he was complaining about him. He would make life hell for him for weeks.

Gibbs seemed to notice his stepson's reluctance. "Hey. Whatever you say here is between us. No one else has to know about it."

"Well, it's just that I don't really like wrestling. I'm no good at sports. But my dad says it'll get me ready for the Navy," Tim said.

"Do you wanna join the Navy?" Gibbs asked.

No one noticed as a new presence entered the room.

"I get seasick," Tim said. On the few times he'd been on a boat, he got sick every time. His dad would get really mad and tell him his stomach was weak just like him and he was going to have to get better. He even threatened to start taking him sailing every week if that was what it took. So far that hadn't happened yet thankfully.

"Well, then it sounds like the Navy isn't for you," Gibbs commented. The more he learned about McGee, the more he hated. The bastard was trying to turn this young man into him. Gibbs would be damned if he let that happen

Tim shrugged. "My dad says it's my job as a McGee to join the Navy."

"It's not your job to be anything but who you are. What do you wanna do?"

"I don't know. I like computers and I like helping people. I think I'd wanna do something like that. But my parents don't like that. They don't like who I am. They say I should be more normal," Tim said as he thought about the last conversation he had with his mother.

Gibbs scoffed. "There's no such thing as normal, Tim. That's just something you see on TV. It's not real. And who would wanna be like those freaks on TV anyway."

Tim laughed. "That's funny. My grandmother always says normal is overrated,"

"That's because it is," a new voice said.

They both turned to see Penny there.

"It's much more fun to be weird," Penny said.

"Penny!" Tim exclaimed before getting up and running to her.

Penny pulled her grandson into her arms. "Hello, Timothy. How are you doing? Are you alright?"

Tim pulled away after a minute. "Are you here to take us home?" He doubted it with what Agent Gibbs had told him, but he could hope, right?

Penny sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but no. You're going to have to stay here a bit longer.

Tim groaned unhappily. "Are Mom and Dad mad at me?"

"They have no business being mad at you?" Penny said firmly.

That wasn't an answer and Tim knew it. It probably meant they were angry with him, not that he expected otherwise.

Penny looked at Gibbs and spoke politely. "Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs stood up. "Ms. Langston. I think we should talk again."

"That's probably a good idea, but it'll have to wait. Right now, I want to visit with my grandchildren," Penny said.

"I'll go get Sarah," Tim said before racing out of the room to go find his sister.


	16. Chapter 16

A couple of hours later, Penny and Gibbs were sitting in a coffee shop just down the street from the group home. "Alright, Agent Gibbs, you wanted this meeting," Penny said.

Gibbs sighed. "It has been brought to my attention that I haven't been handling this great."

"Is that your way of apologizing?" Penny asked.

"I don't apologize. I have a rule against it. But that doesn't mean I can't admit when I'm wrong," Gibbs said.

"And you're admitting that?" Penny asked. She wasn't going to make this easy for him. He'd acted like an ass. The only reason she was even speaking to him now was because she'd heard the way he'd spoken to Timothy. It made her wonder if maybe he was different than her son after all.

"I suppose so. Look, when I think about your son, I feel the urge to strangle someone," Gibbs said irritably.

Penny sighed. "Yes, John has that effect on people."

"And you're his mother. You're a part of the messed up family that stole my wife's son from her," Gibbs said.

"I didn't know about it and I certainly don't condone it," Penny said. She found what her son and daughter-in-law did to be sickening. They'd stolen someone else's child and then proceeded to treat him terribly. It Wes reprehensible.

Gibbs took a sip of his coffee. "Yeah, I know, alright? I handled it wrong. Though I'm not really sure there's a right way to handle it."

"Well, not treating my grandson like a piece of property would be a start," Penny said.

"Not trying to treat him like a piece of property, but it's a little hard to ignore the fact that he was my wife's and he was stolen from her. Tell me it would be any different if it were your kid or the kid of someone you loved," Gibbs challenged.

"I can't," Penny said. She really couldn't say how she would react if the roles were reversed other than to say she'd be pissed. She might react just like Gibbs had. So she supposed he hadn't been the only one to get this whole thing wrong."

"My wife lost her child. She'll never know Tim because of your son, his wife, her mother, and an incompetent detective," Gibbs said through gritted teeth. He wanted to kill all those people for what they'd done, or in Detective Moron's case, hadn't done.

"I can certainly understand your anger, but punishing Timothy isn't in anyone's best interests," she said.

"I am not punishing him!" Gibbs said with a glare. He wasn't. He was trying to protect him. He was trying to give him the life he deserved and what Shannon would want for him.

"It will seem like that to Timothy. You're taking him away from everything he knows, and I'm not saying you're wrong to do it. I am just saying that it is going to hurt him more than you can imagine," Penny said. Despite the way he was treated by them, Timothy loved John and Anna. It was sad really, but it was true. Finding out that they weren't his parents would destroy him.

"I don't want him hurt, but I don't see any way to avoid it. I'm not letting go back to your son and his wife if that's what you want," Gibbs said firmly. He would be damned if he ever let Tim return to the McGees, especially after his last conversation with the boy. There was no way he was going to let Shannon's son stay with people who called him abnormal and made him feel weak. No kid should grow up like that.

Penny glared at him. "I already told that's not what I want. I love my son, but he doesn't belong anywhere near Timothy. Hell, I'm not sure I want him neat Sarah either. John was decent to Sarah, but who knew when that would change. Either way, he and Anna were not the type of influences that Sarah needed to be around.

"I have it my way, he won't be raising any kids any longer because he'll be in prison," Gibbs said.

"Well, that's easier said than done. John is already setting up to blame Anna for this entire thing, and he might get away with it since he was overseas when Timothy was born," Penny said. She knew her son and she knew he was guilty of keeping Timothy from his family, but not many others could see through her son the way she could, and he did have an excellent alibi.

Gibbs growled in response. The ideal of McGee getting away with this infuriated him.

"And if he does get away with this, he's going to fight both of us for Timothy, not because he loves him, but because he sees him as something that belongs to him," Penny explained. John had been very clear on that. He wanted to keep Timothy because he didn't want to lose to a marine and because he considered Timothy his property. It disgusted her. Sometimes she wondered how he grew up to be the kind of man he was because she certainly didn't teach him to be this way

"There's no way that bastard gets Tim! He treats him like trash!" Gibbs said angrily.

"Wow, we agree on something. I want what is best for Timothy and that means him being as far away from my son as possible. Until today, I thought you were just as bad for him, but I heard you with him. Aside from myself, you are the only person to talk to him like he matters," Penny said.

"He does matter," Gibbs said. That kid mattered and not just because he was Shannon's. He mattered because he was a human being. He was a teenaged kid who deserved to be around people who would treat him with respect.

Penny nodded. "Look, I spoke with a lawyer after talking to you yesterday. I wasn't impressed with you and I wanted to see if there was a way for me to legally obtain custody. I've been told there isn't. Even if you weren't fighting, they wouldn't give him to me because I'm not family and because I've never been a parent to him I have no shot. You barely do and only because from a logical standpoint, you'd already have him if he hadn't been stolen from his mother. But while you have the legal right, you don't have everything you need to truly fight John."

"If you don't have a shot, what makes you think he does? He's not family either," Gibbs said.

"But he's been a parent to him, and since you're not his father either, you'll be on almost equal footing. If he can get a court to believe he didn't know the truth, he might just win. So here's my suggestion. We work together to protect both of these children from my son. Are you in?" Penny asked before holding her hand out.

Gibbs took her hand after a minute. "Yeah."


	17. Chapter 17

A few days later, Tim found himself sitting in a room with Penny, a shrink, and the social worker that had taken him and Sarah from their home. He was sitting on the couch with Penny. He was grateful she was there because he was more than a little nervous about whatever was going on.

A man with balding brown hair was seated in a chair across from Tim. "So, Tim, my name's Doctor Ross. There are some things that need to be explained to you. I'm here to make sure that goes smoothly,"

"O…okay," Tim stuttered.

The social worker, Mrs. Reynolds was seated to Tim's right. "Tim, I know you've been wanting to know why we removed you and your sister from your home. The reason no one has told you anything is because we were unsure of how to do so. This is… a unique situation. We weren't sure how to handle it. However, it needs to be said.

Tim took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

"You were removed from your home because we had reason to believe that your parents were not in fact your parents," Mrs. Reynolds said.

Tim gaped in shock at the very idea of that. "Th…that's ridiculous. Of course they're my parents."

"I'm afraid they're not, Tim. When you were examined at the hospital, a blood sample was taken, remember? We tested your DNA. It's relatively new thing that allows us to determine whether someone is or isn't related to another person. It proved that someone other than Anna McGee is your mother," Mrs. Reynolds explained.

"No, that's not true!" Tim yelled before turning to his grandmother with a pleading look. "Tell them, Penny. Tell them I'm not adopted."

Penny took a deep breath. "No, Timothy, you're not adopted. Adoption is a procedure in which parents give their child up to another couple that can take care of the child better than they can. It makes that other couple the legal parents. That's not what happened here."

"I don't understand," Tim said. He wasn't sure what they were trying to tell him. Were they saying he was stolen or something? No. No, that couldn't be right. That kind of thing didn't really happen. Okay, maybe it did, but it couldn't be happening to him. It just couldn't.

"Tim, it seems the McGees obtained custody of you using less than legal means. Your biological parents did not give you up. You were taken from the hospital at birth and ended up with the McGees," Mrs. Reynolds told him.

"You're saying I was stolen. No. You're wrong. I wasn't stolen and the McGees are my parents. Please, Penny, you have to tell them. I'm Tim McGee. Tell them," Tim begged. This couldn't be true. It just couldn't be. This was too much. They were trying to say his parents weren't his parents, that Sarah wasn't his sister and Penny wasn't his grandmother. He couldn't handle that.

"I'm afraid I can't, Timothy. Mrs. Reynolds is telling you the truth. But that doesn't change anything between us. I love you very much and I always will. A blood test doesn't change that," Penny assured him.

"Stop!" Tim yelled before jumping up and crossing the room. He was so overwhelmed right now that he felt like the walls were closing in on him and he was going to suffocate. This couldn't be happening. His parents treating me badly sometimes, but he loved them and he loved Sarah. Now he was being told none of them were his family.

"Tim, we understand you're upset," Doctor Ross said.

Tim turned and glared at him. "You don't know anything! You're not the one being told his parents aren't his parents!" He didn't usually yell like that, but he was really upset right now. He couldn't believe this was happening. It was like something out of the movies.

"You're right. I apologize, son," the doctor said.

"Timothy, please come sit back down," Penny requested.

Tim took a minute, but then he went and sat back down next to Penny.

Penny squeezed her grandson's shoulders. "I know this is hard, sweetheart, but it's true."

"I…if they're not my parents, who are my parents?" Tim asked. As soon as he asked the question, he felt like something hard had hit him square in the chest. It was like asking was accepting that it was true and it hurt a lot.

"You mother was a woman named Shannon Gibbs," Mrs. Reynolds said.

Tim looked up and stared at her in shock. "Gibbs? Like that guy that keeps coming to see me? Is he my father?"

"No, he's your stepfather. Your mother married him several years after you were born," Mrs. Reynolds said.

Tim nodded. It made sense with why Agent Gibbs kept coming to see him. He never understood why he kept coming to see him. As his… mother's husband, it made more sense. Although, he wondered why the woman that was supposed to be his mother wasn't there.

"I'm afraid your mother was killed in car accident several months ago. That's why you haven't met her," Mrs. Reynolds said.

He wasn't sure how to feel about that. He had just been told that his parents weren't actually his parents and now they were telling him his mother, who was a complete stranger, was dead. How was he supposed to deal with that. How was he supposed to deal with any of it?

"I know this very overwhelming, Timothy. You're going to be aright. I promise you that. Things seems bad now, but it will be okay," Penny promised.

"I can't go home, can I?" Tim asked. That seemed pretty obvious. They had accused his parents of kidnapping. They weren't going to let him go back.

"No, probably not."

Tim leaned into Penny's arms and started to cry.


	18. Chapter 18

A couple of days later, Gibbs went to the group home to see Tim. After speaking with Penny, he'd decided to wait a couple of days before going back to see the boy. Penny had said he hadn't handled the truth very well, not that Gibbs really expected him to. No one handled learning that your parents weren't really your parents well, let alone a fourteen-year-old boy who was borderline abused.

Tim was led into the room a second later by one of the caretakers. As soon as he walked into the room, he started avoiding Gibbs' gaze. He wasn't sure what to say to the man or how to act around him anymore. He wasn't just some guy that came to see him anymore.

"Hey, kid," Gibbs greeted.

"Hi," Tim said while looking down at his feet.

"You wanna sit down?" Gibbs asked.

Tim didn't answer. He just went over to the couch and sat.

Gibbs immediately went and sat down next to the boy. They sat in silence for several moments before Gibbs finally decided to break it. "It's been a weird couple of days for you, huh? It can't be easy to find out that the people you love as your family aren't technically your family."

"I…It's not fair," Tim said. He knew it wasn't a very grown up thing to say, but it was all he could think of at the moment. His whole world had been turned upside down and it was just… unfair.

"No, it's not. Life rarely is, but you've really been dealt a bad hand, and it doesn't hope to get any better in the foreseeable future," Gibbs said. He hoped that at some point, Tim would realize he was better off without the McGees, but he didn't expect that to happen anytime soon.

"Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?" Tim asked. He felt like he must of done something to the universe to warrant something like this happening. He knew that didn't make sense, but then again, none of this really did.

For a second, Gibbs felt like he was listening to himself talk. He'd asked himself that very question over and over again since Shannon and Kelly had been killed. He couldn't understand why he had to lose them like that. "You didn't do anything. I know it seems like you must have for something like this to happen, but sometimes bad things just happen. We just have to learn how to live with them.

"I don't want to. I wanna forget this happened. I wanna go back to last week. Things were better then," Tim said. It was hard to believe, but things were better. Yes, he lived in a house where he felt like an outcast and he was pretty sure his parents only tolerated his presence because they had to, but at least he knew who he was and he didn't have to face the prospect of living with strangers.

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure it seems that way. You just got hit with a really big blow and it feels like nothing's ever going to be okay again. But it will be. You'll be okay, Tim. You'll get through this.

Tim looked at Gibbs for the first time. "Penny says you want me to live with you."

"That's true," Gibbs said.

"I don't wanna live with you. I'm sorry," Tim said. He didn't wanna hurt the man, but he didn't wanna live with him. He wanted to go home with his sister and his parents. He loved his Sarah more than anything and he loved his parents too, even if he was sure they didn't love him back.

Gibbs waved off the apology. "Not like I expected you to jump for joy at the idea. I'd be more concerned if you did wanna live with me. I'm still just a little more than a stranger to you. You don't know me. All you really do know is that I set all this in motion."

Tim looked at him surprised. "I…I didn't know that. You started this? Why?" he asked somewhat upset that Gibbs had been the one to turn his life upside down.

"Because my wife, your mother, asked me to. She spent most of her life looking for you. She wanted to see you and know that you were okay, and if she couldn't see that for herself, she wanted me to do it. So I did. I set out to find her son," Gibbs explained.

"Well, then can't you just say that it's okay for me to stay with my parents. I can go home with them and everything will get back to normal," Tim said with desperation in his voice.

"No, I can't and I wouldn't if I could," Gibbs said. He wasn't going to lie to the kid. He wouldn't tell him that he would be okay with sending him back to the McGees because he would never be okay with that. He would fight like hell to keep this boy as far away from John McGee as possible. "I know you love your parents, Tim. I know you wanna go home with them and have everything go back to the way it was. But somewhere inside of you, you've gotta know that the way they treat you isn't right. It's not right for them to make you think you're weak or abnormal."

Tim looked away. "But I am."

"No," Gibbs said firmly before using his index finger to lift Tim's head up so that he was looking at him again. "They're the ones that aren't normal. It's not normal to treat your son like that. There are all different kinds of people. Not everybody is athletic or popular, just like not everybody is smart. But when you have a child, you're supposed to love him or her for who they are. You're not supposed to try to turn them into something they're not or tear them down for not being how you want them to be. That's what the McGees do to you and it's not right. What's worse is that they've got you so turned around that you believe what they say about you."

"They're my par… Well, I guess they're not my parents, but I love them. I wanna be with them," Tim said in despair.

"I know, and that's what makes it all the more sad. I'm sorry, Tim, but I can't let that happen. I won't let these people destroy you anymore than they already have," Gibbs said.

Tim felt tears threaten to fall. Before they could, he stood up and started to leave the room.

Gibbs didn't try to stop him. He knew that the kid was really upset and needed to be alone to deal with things. So he let him go.


End file.
